Question:
Why Does No One Want To Go Into Mammography?
Hey! Why are so few residents interested in pursuing a breast fellowship? The job market for breast has always been ‘hot’ and the hours and salaries are generally higher than other subspecialty specific jobs. I was an IR resident who dropped to DR because of the discrepancy in lifestyle vs. salary vs. free time. Let me know… thanks!
Answer:
My Four Reasons For Fewer Mammographers Than Expected
Well, I have a few insights for you about the world of breast imaging. Back in the day, eons ago before when I even started practicing, mammography was a no brainer. If you talk to some of the older radiologists, you will be surprised to learn that most will say that they initially felt comfortable reading the films. But, the field slowly became more litigious. And, eventually, the area grew into the most sued specialty in the field of radiology.
However, that is not all. Many radiologists went into the field to “get away” from the day-to-day emotions of the patient encounter. And, what do you do when you work in this field? You work with one of the most touchy subjects known to women, breast cancer. You will serve some crying emotionally charged patients. That is not why many radiologists signed up for radiology.
Additionally, mammography differs from other fields in daily practice themes. Unlike other radiologists, breast imagers mainly work with management issues. Instead, most general radiology practitioners want to solve diagnostic dilemmas rather than management matters. Hence, the name of our field “diagnostic” radiology. That’s very different from the expectations of most radiologists.
Finally, this last thought may be a bit more controversial, but I will stick my head out a bit. Many mammographers tend to work intensely at one time or another just reading one type of study, screening mammograms. You may drown in hundreds of the same sorts of studies all day long. Now, this does not necessarily apply to the radiologists that are consummate all-around breast imagers who do biopsies, read MRIs, and work directly with surgeons. But, some of the older breast imagers do only the straight screening and diagnostic mammography portion of breast imaging. And, for many, this work can become redundant and tiring.
My Final Take On Mammography
Now, taken together, these unique practice issues make a particular sort of person to want to go into mammography. And for that reason, regardless of salary, lifestyle, free time, you will not find as many breast imagers as some of the other specialties in radiology. To each his or her own!
Regards,
Barry Julius, MD
